Will Conn

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Will Conn
PHS Class of 2007

Conn earned nine varsity letters at PHS while competing in Football, Basketball and Lacrosse. He earned three varsity letters in Football, serving as captain his senior year. In 2005 the team was Bay Shore Athletic League Champions and he was named the league MVP. He was selected as the 1stteam All-League quarterback his junior and senior seasons. He was given the team Optimo Award (MVP) in 2005 and the Brick Johnson leadership award in 2006. He played three years on the varsity basketball team, serving as captain his senior year. He received All-League honorable mention in 2007 and his teammates selected him as Most Inspirational. As a three-year varsity player in Lacrosse, he earned multiple All-League honors. He was a two-time All-League attackman (2ndteam in 2006 and 1stteam in 2007) and served as team captain his senior year. The team was league co-champions in 2006 and an NCS semi-finalist in 2007. He was the PHS Male Athlete of the year in 2007.

Annie Crangle

Annie Crangle
PHS Class of 2006

Crangle lettered all four years in both basketball and tennis. She was a four-year singles player for the varsity tennis team that won four Bay Shore Athletic League (BSAL) titles. She earned All-League honors in tennis for three years. Crangle was also a four-year starter for varsity basketball. This powerhouse team won four BSAL titles, four North Coast Sectional Championships, three Regional Championships and two California State Championships. She holds the current records for Most Games Started, Most Games Played and Most Games Won (for both boys and girls). She was First Team All-League her senior year and received All-League Honorable Mentions for the SF Chronicle’s All-Bay Area Girls Basketball team for three years (2002-2005). She was named a BSAL All-League Team all four years of competition. She was the PHS Female Athlete of the year in 2006. Crangle joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Basketball team from 2006-2008 and was awarded Academic All-Big Ten for the 2007-2008 season. 

Links:

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2006/05/03/crangle-takes-hard-route/

Jim Kilmartin

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Jim Kilmartin
PHS Class of 1967

Jim Kilmartin epitomized the three-sport athlete during his high school years. Competing in Football, Basketball and Baseball, Jim received seven Block P awards. His teammates remember him not only as a skilled and competitive athlete but also as a very humble individual. 

As the senior quarterback, Jim earned 1st team All FAL and was selected to the 1967 Alameda All Star 1st team. Under the direction of Coach Bob Muenter and Jim, the 1967 football team was the highest scoring team in the East Bay. Jim then played at Merritt College holding career quarterback records for many years. In 1970 and 1971 he started as quarterback for Oregon State. He led the PAC-8 league in rushing for quarterbacks in 1970 with 239 yards and three touchdowns.

In basketball, Jim improved year after year culminating in a stellar senior season. He was selected to the 1st team All FAL and All Metropolitan team as well as received the team Optimal Award. Jim led the team in steals (57) and broke the school record for shooting percentage.

In the spring Jim played baseball. He started on the Varsity team for three years and earned 2ndteam All FAL honors in both his junior and senior years. Jim served as Sophomore class president and as a Student Body Officer his junior year. As a senior, he was named Athlete of the Year.

Rich Kitchens

Rich Kitchens
Basketball Coach

Kitchens contributed to Highlander Athletics in multiple ways over his 34-year career at PHS. First as a basketball coach, then as Athletic Director and finally as Principal.

He coached 20 years of basketball at various levels including 14 seasons as a head coach. He was the JV boys head coach from 1979-1982 and the Varsity head coach for 10 years (1982-1992). From 1982-1986 PHS won five straight Alameda County Athletic League (ACAL) Championships under the direction of Coach Kitchens. During his tenure, Kitchens coached four Hall of Fame members: Chris Roberts, Jim Stehr, Michael Stehr and Rich Watts.

He served as Athletic Director for three years while still fulfilling his full-time teaching duties. As Principal he supported all PHS sports teams at both home and away games and was always easy to recognize with his trademark hat. He also served on the Piedmont Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors and multiple Nomination Committees.

He currently is the director of the “Constitutional Law Education Project” and author of Constitutional Law, a high school textbook used in 10 states. He retired from PHS in 2013.

Neil Rothenberg

Neil Rothenberg
Tennis Coach 2001-2015

Rothenberg coached PHS tennis for 15 years (2001-2015) becoming the winningest coach in PHS sports history. His overall varsity match record stands at an impressive 501-103-4. He began as the JV girls coach in 2001 and 2002. In 2003 he moved to the Varsity girls head coach and stayed through the 2015 season. When the boys Varsity program needed a coach in 2004, he accepted that position as well. From 2004 through 2014 he was the head coach for both programs.

Under his guidance both Piedmont Tennis programs became dominant teams in the very competitive North Coast Section (NCS) of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). The boys program was League Champions every year from 2004-2014. They went undefeated from 2004-2012 and 2014 and lost just one match in 2013.

The girls program was undefeated League Champions 13 consecutive years from 2003-2015. In addition, he coached the boys and girls programs in 11 NCS Championship finals. Under Rothenberg’s direction, the PHS boys were 6-time NCS finalists and won 3 NCS titles. PHS girls tennis won three NCS titles (2013, 2014 and 2015) and were finalists in 2011 and 2012. He coached several NCS singles and doubles champions including Kaelli Thiel (2014-15), Jon and Matt Wang (2011-12), Matt Wang and Daniel Cooper (2013), Ashley Shuster and Aubrey Douglass (2011-12).

Rothenberg was selected as NCS Honor Coach for Women’s Tennis in 2007 and for Men’s Tennis in 2011.

Linda Siegel Splivalo

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Linda Siegel Splivalo
PHS Class of 1979

When Siegel Splivalo was not traveling the world as a Junior National Tennis Champion, she competed on the PHS boys tennis team. Her teammates included Hall of Fame members Dana Gilbert Heinemann and Richard Carlson.

In 1973 she won her first Junior National Championship – US 12 Hard Court. In 1977, her sophomore year, she was a two-time US Junior National Champion – US 16 National Championships and US 18 Clay Court Championships. She beat Tracy Austin in the semis and Pam Shriver in the finals of that tournament to achieve the #1 National ranking in the 16 division that year. In the 18 tournament she defeated Peanut Louie in the finals. In 1978, her junior year, Linda defeated Ivanna Madruga 6-4, 6-4 to win the US Open Girls Championship. She also made it to the final of the South African Open Women’s Singles Championships.

In 1979, her senior year, she achieved a WTA (World Tennis Association) pro ranking of 36. That year she played in several Grand Slam tournaments: US Open, Wimbledon and the French Open. Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Virginia Wade and Evonne Crawley are some of the opponents she faced during her professional career.

Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Siegel_(tennis)

Mina Duffy

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Mina Duffy 
PHS Class of 2008 

Ms. Duffy played Varsity Softball for four years. As a Freshman, she was the #1 pitcher in strikeouts in the Bay Shore Athletic League (BSAL) with 162 in 120.2 innings pitched. She had an ERA of 2.15. During her Sophomore year she tied a national record for most strikeouts in a single game (16 innings) with 30. She was named to the All East Bay First Team as well as the BSAL Most Valuable Player. In addition, Duffy was voted to the All-State Small School Team, as well as, the AU-State Undergraduate team.  

Duffy received San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Tribune Athlete of the Week' honors. As a Junior she posted a win/loss record of 13-4 with an ERA of 1.38 with 240 strikeouts in 116.1 innings pitched. In both her Junior and Senior seasons Duffy received an All-State Softball nomination. Following graduation, Duffy played for 4 years at Quinnipiac University earning Scholar-Athlete honors (2009-2012). In April 2012, she tied a national record for four consecutive home runs. She finished that season with 30 RBI (2nd on the team) and 7 home runs (tied for 1st) and was named to the NEC All-League Second Team. Duffy finished graduate school at Cal State East Bay University.

Aileen Finney

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Aileen Finney
PHS Class of 1980 

Ms. Finney's tenure as the Piedmont Water Polo coach spans 18 seasons over a 20-year period. Prior to coaching, she played on the Cal Womens water polo team (2 times Nadonal Champions) as well as on the USA Women's National Team. In 1995, she launched the PHS Girls Water Polo program and alone managed both the Varsity and JV programs until 2008. In 1991 and 1999, she single-handedly coached all water polo teams (Girls Varsity, Girls JV, Boys Varsity and Boys JV). After a two-year break, she returned to coach the Varsity Team from 2010 - 2014.

In total, Finney coached over 500 games (378 varsity girls' games). Her teams were 5 time ACCAL/WACC Girls' League Champions with 12 appearances in the North Coast Section Championship Tournament. In 2002, Finney was selected as the North Coast Section Honor Coach of the Year/Water Polo. She was the first Piedmont coach honored and the first female water polo coach selected. In 2012, she was the WACC Coach of the Year. Finney served on the North Coast Section Sports Advisory Committee from 2001-2006.  

Beginning in 1996, after noticing a need for a girls water polo program in the East Bay, Finney organized the competitive Oakland Water Polo Club. The ongoing legacy of Finney's coaching is exemplified by 28 of her former players who have played or, are playing, in college. Finney taught her teams the importance of winning with dignity, playing with passion and respect for the game. Finney currently teaches 4th grade at Havens Elementary School.

Dana Gilbert Heinemann

Dana Gilbert Heinemann
PHS Class of 1977

Ms. Heinemann is one of the top tennis players in PHS history. In 1974, the California Interscholastic Federation ruled that girls must be allowed to compete on high school boys teams. As a result, Heinemann starred on the Varsity Boys Tennis Team for 4 years (1974-1977). In 1974 and 1975 Heinemann was the #2 ranked PHS player and the #1 player in 1976 and 1977. Piedmont's 1977 tennis team was ranked #7 nationally. Heinemann also competed successfully on the US Tennis Association's Junior National circuit earning top 10 rankings five times in singles. Heinemann was a four time California State Junior Singles Champion and a four time California State Junior Doubles Champion (with Linda Siegel). 

In 1977, she was selected to compete in the Maccabiah Games where she becaine the Singles Champion, and in 1978, she became the US Clay Court Singles Champion. Heinemann attended UCLA where she competed for the Bruins 1978-1979 earning All-America Honors both years. She played on the WTA Professional Tour for 6 years (1978-1984) with her highest singles ranking at #40. Heinemann became the first woman Tennis Teaching Professional at Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles in 1985. In 1994, Heinemann was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and in 2011, was honored as part of the first group of Legends of the Maccabiah from the Bay Area. She currently works as the property manager for family real estate investments.

Whit Griffinger

Whit Griffinger
PHS Class of 1996 

Mr. Griffinger lettered in both Football and Baseball. He played three years on the Varsity Football Team earning All-League First Team Honors at Strong Safety (1993), Linebacker (1994) and Tight End (1995). The PHS 1995 Team won the ACCAL Championship and earned a Top 10 ranking in Northern California. Griffinger was a two-time team captain (1995 and 1996). In 1995, he was honored with the PHS Freedman Award for Outstanding Athletic, Leadership and Academic Achievements. Griffinger played 4 years of Varsity Baseball and led the team as captain in 1996. 

Griffinger also excelled in the classroom earning North Coast Section Scholar Athlete Awards every season for both Baseball and Football. He was elected Student Body President his senior year (1995-96) and received the PHS Circle Award as the Outstanding Male Student. Griffinger attended Amherst College where he played baseball (1996-2000). His senior year he was selected captain. Griffinger earned New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) All-Academic honors in 1998 and received the Friends of Amherst College Award in 2000. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude with Distinction, in 2000.

Whit is currendy a staff attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid - Youth Justice Project and serves on the Board of Directors of Building Futures with Women and Children.

Don Perkins

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Don Perkins
PHS Class of 1966

Don Perkins was a three sport star at Piedmont High School. His leadership skills were as notable and as important to his teammates as were his athletic abilities. Perkins was a three year Varsity Football Player and was the starting quarterback for the 1965 undefeated team that was ranked #1 in Northern California. 

Perkins was a dual threat quarterback who completed 46 passes for 930 yards (an average of 20 yards per completion) with 12 touchdowns. He also rushed 37 times for 240 yards (an average of 6.49 per carry) with 2 touchdowns. Perkins played in the first Alameda-Contra Costa All Star game and was selected as an alternate for the California Shrine game. Perkins played three years of Varsity Basketball averaging 13.5 points per game his senior year. As team captain, he helped the basketball team finish second in the FAL with a 16-8 record. In 1966, as a four year starter in baseball, Perkins was selected first team All-FAL. 

During his high school years, Perkins was as active in student government as he was in athletics. He served as a representative on the Student Advisory Council and was a Secretary and Vice President of the Block P Society.